News
Congress clears giant $1.9T emergency relief package for Biden’s signature
WASHINGTON — A sweeping $1.9 trillion coronavirus stimulus package is headed to President Joe Biden’s desk after the U.S. House passed the latest pandemic relief measure Wednesday on a party-line vote. The massive bill includes a new round of $1,400 direct checks for many Americans, as well as an extension of expanded unemployment checks to assist […]
Reynolds: COVID-19 vaccines are, ‘in a sense,’ already accessible to all Iowans
Gov. Kim Reynolds declined Wednesday to speculate as to when all Iowans will be designated eligible for a coronavirus vaccine, but said that “in a sense” that has already happened given the number of Iowans who can at least claim to be eligible. Reynolds comments came during a news conference at Iowa PBS. Reynolds was […]
Senate confirms Marcia Fudge as HUD secretary
WASHINGTON — The U.S. Senate Wednesday confirmed U.S. Rep. Marcia Fudge of Ohio in a 66-34 vote to lead the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. Vice President Kamala Harris is scheduled to swear in Fudge at 4:30 p.m. CT Wednesday. Fudge, a Democrat who represents the 11th Congressional District, will be the second […]
U.S. House panel to vote on next step in resolving contested Iowa congressional race
WASHINGTON — A U.S. House panel on Wednesday is poised to take the next step in an election challenge by Rita Hart, the Democrat who lost Iowa’s 2nd Congressional District race by six votes last November. Hart has claimed that she was the rightful winner, but Republican Rep. Mariannette Miller-Meeks, who was sworn in to […]
Haaland confirmation vote for Interior on tap despite GOP opposition
The Senate is expected to vote within days on the confirmation of U.S. Rep. Debra A. Haaland to lead the Interior Department, despite procedural barriers Republicans from Montana and Wyoming announced Tuesday. Republican Sens. Steve Daines of Montana and Cynthia Lummis of Wyoming placed holds on Haaland’s nomination, meaning the chamber now must take an […]
Polk County near decision on expanding vaccine eligibility
Polk County health officials plan to decide by the end of the week whether to expand the list of residents who are eligible to get a COVID-19 vaccination. As of Tuesday, 69% of residents age 65 and over had received at least one dose of vaccine, and 49% had received both doses. Polk County officials […]
Bills look to expand farm-to-school program with private, federal funds
The state would set up a special fund to help schools buy local food for their cafeterias under a bill that lawmakers advanced Tuesday. The legislation, Senate File 359 and House File 482, do not seek a state appropriation. The legislation is meant to build on a successful experiment with $500,000 in CARES Act money […]
Iowa’s new elections bill already facing its first legal challenge
Calling Iowa’s new election law “a cynical manipulation of the electoral process” and “an exercise in voter suppression,” the League of United Latin American Citizens of Iowa has filed a lawsuit against the state to block its implementation. The lawsuit, filed in Polk County District Court, names Iowa Secretary of State Paul Pate and Iowa […]
GOP lawmakers grill Ames school officials on Black Lives Matter program
Republican state lawmakers castigated Ames school officials Tuesday for presenting what they called “one-sided” and “offensive” materials as part of a districtwide celebration of Black History Month. The House Government Oversight Committee held a nearly two-hour hearing on the curriculum and materials associated with what district officials called a “Black Lives Matter at School Week […]
Iowa Senate passes free-speech bill that restricts ‘divisive concepts’ in school training
The Iowa Senate passed a bill Monday that would require First Amendment training for public colleges. The bill also defines certain “divisive” concepts that may not be taught in schools, centered around the idea that no individual is inherently racist or sexist. Sen. Amy Sinclair, R-Allerton, led floor debate on Senate File 478. She said […]
Biden reinstates bird protections gutted under Trump
The Interior Department on Monday revoked a Trump administration policy that would have undercut a century-old law protecting migratory birds. The move strengthens federal regulators’ authority to enforce the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, a 1918 law that allows the government to prosecute polluters whose actions are responsible for the deaths of about 1,100 protected bird […]
Governor signs election bill into law, shortening absentee voting period
Gov. Kim Reynolds signed into law a controversial elections bill that will shorten the absentee voting period and introduce new penalties for election officer misconduct. “It’s our duty and responsibility to protect the integrity of every election,” Reynolds said in a statement Monday. “This legislation strengthens uniformity by providing Iowa’s election officials with consistent parameters […]